G5048 — τελειόω (teleióō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G5048
Original: τελειόω
Transliteration: teleióō
Pronunciation: tel-i-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: τέλος (telos) — end, completion, goal
Occurrences: 24 unique verses (33 tokens) across 8 books
First Occurrence: Luke 2:43 — "And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From τέλειος (G5046); to complete, i.e. (literally) accomplish, or (figuratively) consummate (in character).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 88.004 — Perfect, Perfection (Moral and Ethical Qualities)
Other words in subdomain: τέλειος (G5046), τελειότης (G5047), τελείωσις (G5050)
Secondary Domains:
068.003 — Complete, Finish, Succeed
053.006 — Dedicate, Consecrate
073 — Genuine, Phony

UBS Semantic Domains: - [088] Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior - [073] Genuine, Phony - [068] Aspect - [053] Religious Activities - [013] Be, Become, Exist, Happen

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
made perfect	5	20.8%
perfect / perfected	7	29.2%
finish / finished	4	16.7%
make / made	3	12.5%
fulfilled	2	8.3%
consecrated	1	4.2%
Other (is, should, they, was)	2	8.3%

"Perfect/perfected/made perfect" accounts for 50% of all uses; "finish/fulfilled" accounts for 25%.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 John	4	3.8
Hebrews	9	3.0
James	1	0.9
John	5	0.6
2 Corinthians	1	0.4
Luke	2	0.2
Acts	1	0.1
Philippians	1	—

Hebrews contains the most occurrences (9 of 24, 37.5%) but 1 John has the highest density. The word is absent from the Synoptics (except Luke 2:43 and 13:32), absent from Romans, and absent from the Pastoral Epistles. Its concentration in Hebrews + Johannine writings accounts for 75% of all usage.

Verb Form Distribution¶

Tense-Voice	Count	Forms
Aorist Active	9	τελειωσάντων (Ptcp), τελειώσω (Subj, 3×), τελειώσας (Ptcp), τελειῶσαι (Inf, 3×), ἐτελείωσεν (Ind)
Perfect Passive	8	τετελειωμένοι (Ptcp), τετελείωμαι (Ind), τετελειωμένον (Ptcp), τετελειωμένων (Ptcp), τετελείωται (Ind, 3×), τετελειωμένη (Ptcp)
Aorist Passive	4	τελειωθῇ (Subj), τελειωθείς (Ptcp), τελειωθῶσιν (Subj), ἐτελειώθη (Ind)
Perfect Active	1	τετελείωκεν (Ind)
Present Passive	1	τελειοῦμαι (Ind)

The passive voice dominates (13 of 23 parsed forms, 57%). The perfect tense — denoting a completed state with ongoing results — accounts for 9 of 23 forms (39%). This morphological pattern underscores that the NT writers consistently treat "being perfected" as something accomplished upon persons rather than something persons do to themselves.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Moral / Spiritual Perfection (Persons Brought to Completeness)¶

Heb 10:14 — "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified"
Heb 12:23 — "the spirits of just men made perfect"
Heb 11:40 — "that they without us should not be made perfect"
Phil 3:12 — "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect"

2. Christ's Own Perfecting (the Son Made Complete Through Suffering)¶

Heb 2:10 — "to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings"
Heb 5:9 — "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him"
Heb 7:28 — "the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore"

3. Love Brought to Completeness¶

1 John 2:5 — "whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected"
1 John 4:12 — "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us"
1 John 4:17 — "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment"
1 John 4:18 — "perfect love casteth out fear... He that feareth is not made perfect in love"

4. Completing a Task / Mission¶

John 4:34 — "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work"
John 5:36 — "the works which the Father hath given me to finish"
John 17:4 — "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do"
Acts 20:24 — "so that I might finish my course with joy"

5. Fulfillment of Scripture / Prophetic Purpose¶

John 19:28 — "that the scripture might be fulfilled"
Luke 13:32 — "the third day I shall be perfected"

6. Faith Completed Through Works¶

James 2:22 — "faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect"

7. The Law's Inability to Perfect¶

Heb 7:19 — "For the law made nothing perfect"
Heb 9:9 — "gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience"
Heb 10:1 — "can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect"

8. Divine Power in Human Weakness¶

2 Cor 12:9 — "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἀγάπη (agapē)	G26	4× (17%)	"love is perfected" — divine love reaching completeness in believers (1 John)
ἔργον (ergon)	G2041	4× (17%)	"finish the work" — mission/task completion (John); "by works faith made perfect" (James)
θεός (theos)	G2316	6× (25%)	God as agent or source of perfecting
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)	G2424	5× (21%)	Christ as both object perfected and agent who perfects
νόμος (nomos)	G3551	3× (12%)	"the law made nothing perfect" — law's inadequacy (Hebrews)
λόγος (logos)	G3056	3× (12%)	"whoso keepeth his word... love perfected" (1 John)
ποιέω (poieō)	G4160	4× (17%)	"do the will... finish the work" — task-completion context

Word Family / Cognates (τελ- root)¶

G5046 τέλειος (teleios) — adjective: complete, perfect, mature (17v)
G5047 τελειότης (teleiotēs) — noun: perfection, completeness (2v)
G5050 τελείωσις (teleiōsis) — noun: fulfillment, perfection (2v)
G5051 τελειωτής (teleiōtēs) — noun: perfecter, finisher (1v — Heb 12:2)
G5055 τελέω (teleō) — verb: to end, finish, accomplish, pay (26v)
G5056 τέλος (telos) — noun: end, goal, conclusion, tax (41v)
G2005 ἐπιτελέω (epiteleō) — verb: to accomplish, complete, perform (10v)

Synonyms¶

No synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G5048.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G5048.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
τέλειος (teleios)	G5046	"perfect"	Adjective = state of completeness; teleióō = verb, the process of bringing to that state
ἐπιτελέω (epiteleō)	G2005	"made perfect" (1v)	Emphasizes carrying through to completion (ἐπί + τελέω); lacks teleióō's moral/spiritual perfection sense
καταρτίζω (katartizō)	G2675	"perfect" (2v)	To mend, restore, make complete — a fitting-together or repairing sense (e.g., mending nets, Mat 4:21); teleióō = reaching the intended goal/telos
πληρόω (plēroō)	G4137	"perfect" (1v)	To fill up, fulfill prophecy — a filling/content sense; teleióō = bringing to the designed end-state

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 088.004 — Perfect, Perfection)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Verses	Primary KJV	Key Difference
G5046	τέλειος	11	perfect	Adjective describing the state; teleióō is the verbal process
G5047	τελειότης	2	perfectness, perfection	Abstract noun for the quality of completeness
G5050	τελείωσις	2	performance, perfection	Noun for the act of completing; Luk 1:45 "performance" of promise; Heb 7:11 priestly "perfection"

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrence	PMI	Notes
מָלֵא (male')	H4390	8	5.77	"to fill" — LXX translators sometimes rendered מָלֵא with τελειόω, especially for priestly consecration ("fill the hand")
מְלָאכָה (mela'kah)	H4399	3	5.15	"work, service" — priestly service context
אַהֲרוֹן ('Aharon)	H175	4	4.31	Aaron — priestly consecration contexts
בֶּגֶד (beged)	H899	3	4.69	"garment" — priestly vestment contexts
כֹּהֵן (kohen)	H3548	4	3.32	"priest" — ordination/consecration contexts
קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh)	H6944	3	3.68	"holiness" — sanctuary service contexts

The LXX data reveals that teleióō's primary Hebrew source is מָלֵא (male', "to fill"), particularly in the idiom "fill the hand" (מִלֵּא יָד) meaning to consecrate/ordain priests (Exod 29:9, 33; Lev 8:33; 16:32). This cultic consecration background illuminates Hebrews' use of teleióō for Christ's priestly perfecting.